Quick Hits, Vol. 317 (Brockhampton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Big Sean, Tyler Childers)

Brockhampton - The Family.  Such a disappointment.  When these guys blew on to the scene I caught their live show both ACL weekends and a Stubb's show in the middle.  They were explosive and exciting and innovative and so very interesting.  This is supposedly their last album, and it just goes out like a whimper.  They rap about each other and why the group is breaking up, or what it was like when they started, and I just don't care.  So what that your friendship turned into a business that turned into a nightmare?  Boring.  No killer beats.  Lots of whiny lyrics.  Just uninspired and useless.  Which is too bad, would have been awesome for them to go out with a banger.  Top track is "Big Pussy," with 4.4 million streams.

Definitely more like the tracks they made in the past - just in your face and brash.  I like the beat switch too.  Oh well, one good track out of the pile isn't the worst!  See ya!

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Return of the Dream Canteen.  Not sure why it ever makes sense for a band to follow up an album almost immediately with another full-length album.  I'm of the mind that you take the scalpel to the two discs and choose the absolute best to make one killer album.  Then you can release the b-sides in ten years for an archival fun time and additional sales.  But that is not what the Chilis did here, as they released this disc on October 14, just 6 months after the April 1 release of Unlimited Love.  And some of these tracks are very fun - "Tippa My Tongue" is catchy as hell (even if the lyrics are a little inscrutable).  That is, of course, the top track.  18.4 million streams.

The build up at the start, the ridiculous taunting bit right away, the liquid bass and slippery guitar.  Classic RHCP.  Dig it.  And so just imagine if this one was on Unlimited Love, giving it a second instant hit tune.  They could have tightened up the whole set and made a new classic.  Oh well.  They played "Eddie" at their ACL set, and while it was a little uninspiring at the time, the song has grown on me over time.  The guitar is really nice in there, and it is fun to think of them playing it for Eddie Van Halen as they apologize for something unstated.  And a lot of these songs sound good, showcasing some Flea bass or Frusciante licks - just a nice groove.  "Fake as Fuck" gets funky and includes some tasty trumpet bits (although it still could be a great b-side).  But, like, "In the Snow" just feels like a freeform poem over throwaway jam licks that meanders around for six minutes.  "Roulette" very much sounds like some other relatively recent song I have heard from the Chilis.  It has a nice groove to it, but it just doesn't sound new and interesting.  "My Cigarette" sounds like a throwaway using a drum machine - not the thundering smash of Chad.  Boring...  "The Drummer" gets my juices going.  I'll keep it.  You knew I was going to keep the dang thing, I just wish they had made one killer disc instead of two with up-and-down power.

Big Sean - Detroit.  I dig Big Sean.  I think his voice sounds cool, and his flow is usually a nice mix of laid back cruising and smart syncopation.  He has a few bangers in his catalog as well.  Nothing on here really snags me that way, the album mostly just flows along without anything too exciting or too terrible.  Well, I think the last track with Wiz Khalifa is bad.  Crap beat and generic flows.  But the rest of it is just pleasantly good.  "How it Feel" is relatively entertaining.  Low stream counts up and down, so the album isn't exciting to others either.  Top track is "24k of Gold" featuring J. Cole.  1.8 million streams.

Weird thing, when I searched for that on YouTube, I found that this is actually an old song.  He uploaded a video for the track, without J. Cole, 9 years ago.  So that is weird.  Fine song.  Nothing that really moves the needle for me, but the beat is kind of fun and bouncy.  I don't need to save any of this.

Tyler Childers - Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?  Well, if I thought that the Chilis needed to tighten up their set, then this "album" is in need of a lobotomy.  For whatever reason, Childers decided to release this 8-song album as three different concepts, mashed into one album.  So, you get the same eight songs three different ways - "Hallelujah version" is a pared-back version of the music featuring Tyler and his band only, the "Jubilee version" is full band including strings, horns, organ, etc., and the "Joyful Noise version" is a DJ-mixed version with something called Charlie Brown Superstar.  The first two are good, although a little frustrating that he didn't just pick the best versions of the songs and go with those instead of making it seem like I am just hearing the same thing twice.  The last one is deeply dumb.  I definitely do not need to hear that part.  I get that he is trying to do something conceptual and interesting, but just release the normal album with the best cuts, and then you can release a super-deluxe version with all the weird crap crammed in there.  Make disco versions!  Turn it in to rap!  I don't care, but I want the initial album to just be the absolute best thing he can do!   Stream counts for the dumb ass techno versions are thankfully lower, so hopefully this disabuses the idea of acting like this in the future.  Top track is the Hallelujah version of "Way of the Triune God," with 21 million streams.

See?!  He can rip off some good-time classic-sounding tunes!  He doesn't need DJ Superturd!  Or a bunch of Andy Griffith soundbites!  Just crank up some good lyrics and a slightly funky jam and you're set!  I'm just going to keep the normal 8 tracks from the Hallelujah version and dump the rest.

Quick Hits, Vol. 316 (Danger Mouse/Black Thought, Jeff Rosenstock, Maneskin, Run the Jewels)

Danger Mouse/Black Thought - Cheat Codes.  When Danger Mouse first popped onto the scene with that Grey Album, he seemed like the smartest innovator ever.  Now that seems a little less shiny, with a lot of other people mashing things up in a similar way since, but I'll still say that his crate-digging ability and classic-while-innovating beats are still very fun.  I don't know Black Thought at all, he's apparently the lead rapper from The Roots.  He's got a good flow on here, and they bring a ton of good guests on as well to add different flows and styles.  It's a fun album, feels like smart person rap.  I thought "No Gold Teeth" would be the top track, as it encapsulates everything that is right about this album - funky/weird sample beats, smooth delivery of vocals.  I also hear it on the local radio a good bit.  But instead, the one with Joey Bada$$, Russ, and Dylan Cartlidge, called "Because," is the top streamer with just over 9 million.

Laiiiiiid back.  Dig it.  Thought's beard is legit.  One of my favorite things for a great rap track is when a good beat is used for a bunch of different people to jump in and drop their style.  I know a posse cut is not some sort of revelation in the world of rap, but it's just cool as hell for a looped sample-mash like that to just spool out into infinity while different guys grab the mic and give it a shot.  This album is good.  

Jeff Rosenstock - No Dream.  A co-worker actually recommended the follow-up to this album to me, an odd ska reimagining of these punk bangers.  Personally, I much prefer the originals.  This is in the vein of my recent love for Turnstiles's brand of tuneful post hardcore punk stuff.  Part of me just wishes that he used a different name, I literally cannot remember his freaking name.  I think I called him Matt Rosenblatt the other day.  A lot of the tunes just launch right in to pummeling mode and never let up, and it's good fun.  I used it as my soundtrack the other day for some yardwork and its just the right combination of hard-edged and boogie to keep my brain in a happy place and ready to either headbang or shimmy.  Like, the top track starts with a jenky drum machine, but then punks it up until a metal breakdown in the middle that requires - at least - a heavy nod of the head.  "Scram!" with 2.4 million.

"GO KICK ROCKS AND DIE!  WOOOO!"  White Reaper-esque jam.  And as you can tell from that video, this was a product of 2020, which is why you have video of people playing bass along in their room next to a treadmill or otherwise just doing stuff alone.  And not everything in the album is so hard, as the next song on there, the title track, is a very spare sounding tune for the first half and then turns into a pogoing screamalong.  A lot of fun harmonies among the crush.  I find it all to be a damn good time!

Maneskin - RUSH!  Funny thing about this album.  A few weeks ago, I read a Rolling Stone review of it that was solidly complimentary.  First off, annoyingly, RS has stopped giving star ratings for their reviews (cowards!).  Secondly, they have reduced their album reviews to a trickle, reviewing like 2 a magazine.  Now, I'm well aware that we now have a million sources for album reviews on the Internet, but it was always nice to have a well-curated package of top albums that I should check out.  I don't know who to trust on the Internet!  Feels like a cop out to quit reviewing music.  They are scared to pan Led Zeppelin again and get made fun of forever.  But to the point here, their review fawns on this band.  "To a degree, Måneskin have won the fight for their right to party: With their growing stardom, runway-glam fashion and makeup sense, and a guitarist (Thomas Raggi) who actually plays solos once in a while, Måneskin do feel like the only major-league rock band making any dent in the culture at large." or talking about an "undeniable earworm" or "kicky-fun" and "new wave novelty."  AND THEN, I see a ton of other reviews that absolutely excoriate this album.  For example, Pitchfork: "Their new album is absolutely terrible at every conceivable level."  

I think I fall in the middle here.  It is not a good album, but it is definitely a fun patchwork of goofy shit and rock riffs.  Which, I think there is always a time and place for.  Like, The Struts do this sort of glamtastic ridiculousness well.  And this one has some definitely catchy tunes based on funky bass and guitar power.  I think it is always delicious to hate on something like the Pitchfork folks do, and this album has lyrics that are ripe for piling on, but instead this just feels like a generic throwaway of fun music.  Like saying that the ninth Fast and Furious movie is crappy cinema.  Well, no shit, buddy.  They weren't trying to impress the Academy.

The play-count is really weird on this album though.  It is definitely overlong.  They definitely could have cut the track listing in half instead of firing out 17 songs and almost an hour.  But the top three songs, the only three with over 100 million streams, are the last three songs.  When has that ever happened?  Weird.  But the second-to-last track is the top one at 192 million streams - "Supermodel."

Which is weird, because that is definitely one of the weaker tunes on the album for me.  Has a lot less funk and soul than other, earlier tracks.  And the line "her boyfriend is the rock and roll" just makes me cringe.  "Baby Said" is a more fun song for sure.  But while it was fun to dig in to the tunes just out of curiosity, I don't need to save the album.

Also, in case you didn't know, this is that same band that did "Beggin'" a few years back, the song that gets some alt radio play and sounds to me like a long-lost Live b-side of those guys trying to do some upbeat music with crappy accompaniment.  Also, that track has freaking 1.275 BILLION streams.  Good gravy.

Run the Jewels - RTJ CU4TRO.  Weird ass remix album, turning the tunes from Run The Jewels 4 into cumbia/reggaeton/other Latin styles that I don't understand.  I think it is a bummer, it removes some of the power and strength of the originals to remove the crushing bass from "Yankee and the Brave" to instead add in slinky little piano, snare, shaker sounds for "yankee y el valiente."  I want the punishment, not some limp dance beat from a Casio preset.  Much of this feels the same way for me - the beats on the original album were ferocious and iconic.  None of this feels as vital, makes it feel like a clown show.  Here is the top one, "ooh la la," which goes from a clever-sounding, ominously-piano'ed, thumping beat, to this uninspiring remix that has none of the soul.

I am well aware that I am not a connoisseur of Latin music, and so I'm a terrible judge of what is good and how it should sound, but I don't like any of this.

Quick Hits, Vol. 314 (Charley Crockett, Mars Volta, AG Club, Beyonce)

I think I'm going to drop Pandora.  I'm not sure why this has taken me so long, but it seems weird to pay $5.99 for Pandora while I am paying $14.99 for Spotify.  Like, Spotify does a pretty sweet radio/algorithm thing too, right?  When we were on the beach at Spring Break, I played one De La Soul song, and Spotify turned that in to a super dope compilation of Black Sheep and Beastie Boys and Madlib and all sorts of other laid back rap.  It was rad.  I have loved my Pandora stations, at one time I worked really hard to get them just right.  But as the price has crept up I'm not so sure it makes sense anymore.

Charley Crockett - The Man From Waco.  My Man Charley is having a moment.  I love it.  This is some serious throwback tune stuff - full of classic country flourish and songwriting chops that don't sound at home at all in 2023.  And yet it sounds awesome to me and is getting him some festival poster spots and concert tours.  Even just the cover of the album is a throwback that looks awesome.  Dig it.  I was hoping that "Time of the Cottonwood Tree" was going to be the hit, as I think it sounds really cool.  But instead, it is "I'm Just a Clown," with just over 3 million streams.

I wish I had the panache to wear a cowboy hat all curled up and perched on his head like that.  Boss.  But yeah, nothing particularly groundbreaking in any of these tunes, just really pleasant-sounding country tunes with good vocals and great accompaniment.

Mars Volta - The Mars Volta.  Please make it stop.  I really can't do this anymore.  I remember seeing them live one time, and feeling like they were an amazing future Zeppelin monster in the making that I should remember.  And every album since then is another disappointing pile of half-baked guitar-centered crap.  Some of it is now soft-rock.  What am I doing here?  The album opener is the top track before people head for the exits.  "Blacklight Shine."  3.1 million.  Even that song title sounds like a high school kid's failed band named it.

I mean, it is not the worst song ever or anything, but nothing on this album caught my interest.  No thanks.

AG Club - Imposter Syndrome.  These guys came to ACL a few years back and I was pretty hyped to see them after a few listens to what was available.  They reminded me of Brockhampton and I was excited to see the new version of that type of rap collective.  I thoroughly enjoyed the show during weekend one - very hype and entertaining stuff.  But the second weekend, I had to laugh when I saw my teenage son with his friends over there watching the show - as much as I love loud music, my boy just sprints the other way.  To him, an ACL Fest is just too much noise and too many people, and he can't comprehend why I'd want to voluntarily get in the middle of the crowd for a show.  Made me laugh.  So, this album is not as good as their best, earlier tunes, but a few things on here have promise.  "Bodega Bandit" and its ominous, threatening beat is fun.  "Kevin" is okay.  "Tattoo" has a great beat and some noodling vocals that draw me in.  "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has that posse cut vibe that can be fun sometimes.  But the top track is "Mr. Put It On," the only track with more than a million streams at just over 3 million.

That video made me laugh.  "We're youth pastors!"  Song is fine - feels like they are trying hard to have something for the kids to chant at the shows with the "punk rock" thing.  I still love "Memphis," but nothing on this disc rises to that level.

Beyonce - Renaissance.  The first time I ever heard a portion of this album was immediately upon its release, in the summer of 2022.  We were staying at an AirBnb with two other couples, preparing to all pick up our kids from summer camp in a few days.  One of the other ladies with us is a massive Beyonce fan, and so right at midnight we fired this album up (on the TV somehow, I don't really recall how that happened).  I don't recall falling immediately in love either.  The thing with this disc, after full listens and a deeper dive in to it, is that I find it to be too long.  Her voice is still freaking amazing. The groove in some of the tunes is undeniable.  But it's still just R&B dance that is definitely aimed at a different crowd than me.  "Cuff It" is pretty damn explicit, over a funky ass Chic bassline.  Surprisingly, that is the top track.  I thought for sure that "Break My Soul" would be the hit, but it hits second place with 288 million streams.  Here is "Cuff It," with 395 million.

"We gone fuck up the night," over that funky disco groove, is some good flavor.  Kind of a disappointing video though, I figured there would be a real vibe in there, and not just models taking off hoods over and over.  But the album is over an hour long, which just seems like too much.  I dig the groove for a while, and then I look up from my work and am like "damn, still this album?  Really?"  So, while I want to join the Beyhive and fall deeply in love with every dance-party-jam on here, if I am being true to myself (and to you!) then the answer is that I really just don't care.

Quick Hits, Vol. 315 (Joyce Manor, Bruce Springsteen, Two Door Cinema Club, Death Cab for Cutie)

Joyce Manor - Never Hungover Again.  Another older album that somehow made it into my new music queue.  2014 disc.  Wherever it came from, I'm grateful to those people who got me here, because it is pretty fun.  Super tuneful rock and roll that is both catchy and loud, a little too yell-y at times, and yet makes me bob my head and sing along.  Because I have no clue how this appeared in my queue, I looked them up.  They are a punk band from California who is still making music even in 2022.  The band name came from an apartment complex related to these dudes.  Every once in a while, some The Cure-ass synths randomly pop in these songs, and I find that endearing - see "Falling in Love Again".  "Heated Swimming Pool" randomly sounds like a The Smiths b-side.  Two biggish songs with over ten million streams, but the winner is that "Falling in Love Again" joint at 15 million streams.

Tasty garage rock jangle and thrumming bassline.  Surprisingly good album that I wish I would have known about a decade ago when it first came out!  Definitely going to keep it in the mix.

Bruce Springsteen - Only the Strong Survive.  I know that he has the right to do a classic covers set like this, but it is kind of a bummer to lose out on fresh music in favor of some of these moldy oldies.  Not that they sound bad - "Nightshift" and several of these other covers sound great, his voice is still relatively solid and the backing band gets in to a great groove.  But still, I'd rather hear him write another "Glory Days" than sing some dusty ass song about a Western Union man.  "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" is the top streamer in here, a song by Frank Wilson and a part of Bruce's current concert lineup.  5.7 million.

His concert a few weeks ago was freaking rad - he still brings a ton of energy and excitement and showmanship to the live experience.  Made me really wish that I could have seen him previously, but at least I got one time!  I won't keep this disc around though.

Two Door Cinema Club - Keep on Smiling.  Saw these cats at an ACL several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the show.  The smart combination of pop and rock and 80's danceability was very tasty.  Sadly, this one just never takes off for me, each time I slog through it I don't find any of that joy that I wanted to hear.  It is still brightly lit pop rock that has a lot of bounce, but for whatever reason it rings hollow to me.  The top track is the third - "Everybody's Cool" with 3.5 million streams.

Just never gets all that interesting.  And that video is aggravating to me.  Not a bad song by any means, but just isn't interesting or especially fun.  I'll let this album go as well.

Death Cab for Cutie - Asphalt Meadows.  I wrote a long review of them last year because they came to ACL, and it reminded me of how much I like them.  When I think of the band, I really only think of the old stuff that was awesome, and rarely consider the newer tunes (despite the fact that the new stuff isn't bad!).  Well this feels like another one of those, where the new stuff isn't bad, even if I probably won't move this album into my hierarchy of DCFC albums.  The opener has a great combo of fuzzy guitar riffs alongside really clean harmonies in the vocals.  The top track is in the middle, "Here to Forever," with 6.9 million streams.

Sounds clean, and the lyrics are touching nostalgia that work really well.  As always, Ben Gibbard's voice is a singular one, that sounds different and interesting each time he nails one of those lovely high notes and purely reaches up into his register.  I like it.  If their upcoming show in Austin wasn't at the dumb Germania Ampitheater, I'd totally consider going to hear that one live.

Quick Hits, Vol. 313 (Marcus Mumford, Taylor Swift, Arctic Monkeys, Highly Suspect)

Marcus Mumford - (self-titled).  I listened to the main single for this a number of times in the run up to ACL last year, because Marcus was named to the poster somewhat late in the game and right around when this album was released.  The thing about that song - although it is good - I can't help but think of Ferris Bueller every time I hear it.  You know when Rooney is desperately trying to get his secretary to help him while he is on the phone with Ferris's mom?  And he is hiss/yelling "graaaaaaaace" to get her attention?  That part.  And it cracks me up.

Such a classic flick.  Anywho, maybe that is just me, who keeps hearing that echo in the hit song here.  That song is, unsurprisingly, called "Grace."  But now I am the one who is surprised, because another song has actually overtaken it for the stream crown.  "Grace" has 3.4 million, but "Go in Light," featuring someone named Monica Martin, has 3.5 million.

Oh, that one is just him on a bench, instead of the studio duet, but you get the idea.  There is definitely a thing for me where the solo albums of a lead singer from a band just sound like they are other albums from that band.  Eddie Vedder's great solo album from last year comes to mind, or those Jim James solo discs.  Marcus Mumford's voice is so distinctive, that there really isn't a way to remove his sound from the sound of the band, unless these songs were all, like, EDM or reggaeton or something.  Instead, this is just more milquetoast roots rocker tunes with him plaintively hollering and whispering over the top of them.  It is fine, but nothing on here other than "GRAAAAAACE!" has stuck with me.

Taylor Swift - Midnights.  I like Taylor.  My youngest daughter is bordering on obsessed with Taylor, and knows/loves any and all of her songs.  Even the older country ones that sound like goofy Nashville schlock.  I'm still trying to get tickets so that the whole family can go to Houston to see her play in April, although so far I only have two tickets.  One thing that makes that concert sound so appealing to me is that she is preparing a show that will touch on all of her different eras - and there are a lot and they all have neat facets to them.  My favorite is the Red album - when she first went pop but also hedged her bets with some more classic guitar-based tunes.  Not the full gloss and glam of Reputation just yet.  This album is fine - it has a few really good ones, and then a bunch of mediocre tunes.  For me, and I may be in the minority here, I'm tired of the Jack Antonoff influence.  The tunes behind many of these songs are too spare, too dependent on little synth flourishes, and they never really go anywhere. Like, "Labyrinth" is playing right now, and if I wasn't intently trying to listen to the backing music, I'd guarantee you that I would never remember anything about it once it was done.  Just an uninteresting smear of synths and a touch of drum machines at the end.  To me, that plagues the entire album - too many soft-focus, down-tempo light pop backing tracks under Swift's otherwise fine lyrics and delivery.  The top track is the one that mentions sexy babies, as it should be.  "Anti-Hero," with 583 million streams.

Entertaining video, as well as a good song that actually has a beat and a hook!  Who knew that those would be more entertaining!  "Maroon" is good, as is "You're On Your Own Kid."  "Vigilante Shit" is not a good song.  Most of it just kinda boogies along without any impact though.  I'll keep listening to it, though.  Maybe the Antonoff styles will finally make sense someday.

Arctic Monkeys - The Car.  Is there another band who has so completely destroyed their sound?  I guess Taylor Swift did something like that, and likely alienated all of her country fans.  Or U2 with Achtung Baby and then Zooropa and Pop?  Or when Dylan went electric?  I don't know if this is like that or not, but what I know is that this album sucks butt.  AM was one of the most fun rock and roll albums in a long time - full of hooks and swagger and riffage for days.  And now this album and its predecessor just take that momentum and stuff it into a sack of moldy oldies that Lawrence Welk would have been embarrassed to release.  I hate it.  Somehow, people are actually listening to it through, so maybe this is going to be like Tom Petty's Wildflowers and in ten years everyone is going to reference this as their touchstone for why they also are making super shitty music.  The top track is the opener, "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball," which is all schlocky strings and mellow vibes.  50.5 million streams.

Do you remember that John Denver and the Muppets song from their Christmas album that is about the magic of Christmas?  The synth line throughout this song evokes its twin in that song.  Uck, I just can't wait to get this one written about so that it quits coming up in my queue.  I just can't imagine anyone seriously claiming that this album would have been popular at all if it had been released by an unknown band.  Ugh.

Highly Suspect - The Midnight Demon Club.  I keep coming back to these guys, but keep getting lesser returns than those earlier albums.  This one has some cheesy ass lyrics that make it hard to stick with them - "Ice Cold" has a chorus about watching his bankroll and it makes me cringe even without the bad effects on his voice.  The album kind of reminds me of that new Muse one where, in general terms, I like crushing rock bombast, but am left wanting by the execution and cheese that is layered in here with the riffage.  Like, "Pink Lullabye" kicks in like Alice in Chains has been hanging out with Pantera, but it goes too far with the cheese.  "New California" just sucks.  The stream counts here are actually what I expected for that Monkeys album up above - most are under a million with one that is up to 9.4 million - "Natural Born Killer."

There was a bad band who has been to ACL a few times who that song reminds me of - it feels more like they are trying to write a song that will be used by ESPN in their NCAA basketball coverage as the broadcast goes to commercial, rather than trying to actually make a good tune.  Not liking the Depeche Mode reference.  Not liking the suggested rape in the video either.  Is he killing everyone who is having a bad day?  Or just drugging them and taking them to the little Quonset hut of ice creams?  Don't want to know.  Don't need this disc.

Quick Hits, Vol. 312 (J.I.D., Early James, Larry June, High Tension)

J.I.D. - The Forever Story.  This dude is awesome.  I have no clue why he doesn't get more love, but I think his flow is perfect.  On "Dance Now," you really get some of the weird and wacky-ness of his flow, as he does like five different voices/styles over a great beat.  It's like the way Kendrick does those weird voices too, and I dig it.  Sometimes, it makes identifying his guests difficult, since he's doing these other voices...  I love the bit when he says he's not a "two stepper, man," makes me want to shimmy and shake every time he says it.  My one beef with the album is its length.  So many rappers just don't know how to keep it tight, so you've got an hour long album that feels longer, because the beats morph so often in the middle of tracks.  That being said, I'm not sure what I would cut - maybe some of the singing ballad type tunes, but those work here as well.  "Surround Sound" uses that same singing sample that was in "Ms. Fat Booty" years ago, which is fun, and a super good beat.  And 21 Savage does a good verse in there too. That is actually the top streamer, at a shockingly high 116.2 million streams.

That is definitely one thing that makes this disc so good - the beats are super solid.  I'd bump that anytime.  Not sure why the song had to transition into that new beat and final verse - just end the dang thing at that static noise and make a separate song that has that new beat and verse?  Weird.   Also, EARTHGANG are dope.  But he does the song-switchup over and over on this album, and it just makes it confusing.  Like, "Can't Make U Change" is a laid back track with a cool groove and a good hook, but then three minutes in it shifts to a totally different tempo and beat.  Just make that a new song?  Whatever, I dig this album overall.  Nice to have some new rap that I enjoy.

Early James - Strange Time to Be Alive.  This dude was on the poster for ACL last year, and I dug his laid back soul/blue/rock/southern sound.  He's yet another of the Dan Auerbach-produced dudes who tap in to a really great vein of historically great rock and roll tropes.  The opener, "Racing to a Red Light," combines some smoky vocals with a little standup bass, moody organs, and lazy-day groove.  I figured that one might be the top track, because it rules, but instead it is "Real Low Down Lonesome," from in the middle of the album.  642k streams.

This one has a Charley Crockett vibe to it, as he is in my mind these days.  The lady there is Sierra Ferrell, and she's got a cool vibe to her voice as well, like a brassy power that feels like it was left behind years ago.  The title track is a little more loud, but also a very true song.  The whole disc has that sort of relaxed throwback vibe, and it is really pleasant to listen to.

Larry June - Spaceships on the Blade.  Another find because of Austin City Limits Fest, I think June was one of the best rappers on the bill last year.  And this album has some good bars, but overall its just bloated to a state of being boring.  20 freaking songs?  C'mon man.  And yeah, some of those are spoken interlude type things, but still it's just too much.  The top track is "Corte Madera, CA," with just over six million streams.

Great beat, just a laid-back smooth groove.  But the lyrics are meh, just a rack of bragging bars that never gets beyond how cool his cars and jewelry are.  Which is too bad, because at his best he sounds like classic Too $hort doing new things.  This just isn't it.  I want to like this disc, but I won't keep it around.

High Tension - Death Beat.  I know, you are looking at the artists in this Quick Hits set and thinking that I've gone way underground or something.  I can't recall how this got into my queue, but it is way too hard for my liking.  The music itself jams, but the vocals are unpleasant.  In the opening track, I have no clue what she's even screaming, just that it sucks.  Meanwhile, the guitars, drums, bass onslaught is righteous.  If she would just shut up, or sing in a better tone, this could be some good stuff.  Top track is "High Risk High Rewards," with 203k streams.

I really like that little "oooh" when the music is kicking in at the start.  And then she starts shredding her vocal cords all over the place and I'm out.  That music is rad.  She sounds kind of like my least favorite Queens of the Stone Age song, "Six Shooter" from Songs for the Deaf.  if they could just get her to sing instead of screech, or bring in Taylor Swift or something, this would rule.  As it is, I am glad to remove it from my Q.